Created to help teachers meet new Common Core and state standards, the books provide direct instruction in argument, informative, and narrative writing

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Created to help teachers meet new Common Core and state standards, the books provide direct instruction in argument, informative, and narrative writing

(BOSTON, MA) July 14, 2016 – As a recent Education Weekarticle pointed out, with the implementation of Common Core or newly rigorous state standards, students are being asked to write more, and to compose multiple paragraphs that use evidence to build full arguments, narratives, and informational writing products. The challenge for teachers is that they do not have the resources they need to teach writing to the level required by the new standards.

To provide teachers with support, guidance, and instructional plans that meet the standards, Wiley and PCG Education have launched their new Paths to College and Career writing books: Argument Writing, Narrative Writing, and Informative Writing. Originally developed to address Common Core as part of the EngageNY curriculum, each of these newly revised resources for grades 9–12 comes with a Teacher’s Guide and a Student Journal. The Teacher’s Guides are also available as ebooks.

Each of the three books guides students to create a fully developed essay. All of the units include Skills Lessons that teach grammar as well as the conventions and structural elements required of each type of writing. Units are composed of 20 lessons, enough for 4-6 weeks of instruction. The lessons are scaffolded to accommodate a range of abilities.

“All students can and should achieve the new standards,” said Dennis Jackson, Senior Advisor of PCG’s Education Consulting team. “We can’t exclude students who might be challenged with a particular aspect of literacy from rigorous experiences. When we give them the opportunity to do rigorous work, they rise to that occasion.”

Each book follows the same structure. For example, Argument Writing presents students with authentic model argument texts that they read and analyze. Students investigate the model pieces to collaboratively identify the core components of an effective argument and build their own checklist of the critical components of a strong argumentative essay.

After creating the checklist, students are given a topic upon which they will be writing. To build an evidence-based essay. they read content-rich articles and documents, gathering evidence as they formulate their argument and plan the structure they will use in their final product. The texts are intentionally accessible for all students, because their purpose is to model arguments and give students ideas that support coherent writing. “We all have only so much mind space,” said Jackson. “When we’re learning too many things, then we can’t master any of them well.”

Via the student-generated checklists, each unit empowers students to assess their own work and then share it for peer review and peer editing. “When students get help and support from peers, it has more value than the same support coming from teachers,” Jackson said. “And students benefit from giving feedback. It becomes cyclical: The more students know and understand as they help their classmates, the better they will write.”

The Paths to College and Career writing books are supported by PCG Education subject matter experts who conduct on-site professional development sessions in which they train instructional coaches and administrators to support teachers as they implement the units.

About PCG EducationA division of Public Consulting Group (PCG), PCG Education offers consulting and technology solutions to schools, districts, and state education agencies across the U.S. and internationally to strengthen student achievement and improve organizations’ instructional and operational capacity. In partnership with clients, PCG designs and delivers training and technical assistance to build educators’ ability to improve instruction, develop standards-based curriculum, and meet the needs of diverse learners along the pathway to college and career readiness. PCG supports practitioners at all stages of standards implementation and school improvement. More information is available at PublicConsultingGroup.com/education.

About WileyWiley is a global provider of knowledge and knowledge-enabled services that improve outcomes in areas of research, professional practice, and education. Through the Research segment, the Company provides digital and print scientific, technical, medical, and scholarly journals, reference works, books, database services, and advertising. The Professional Development segment provides digital and print books, online assessment and training services, and test prep and certification. In Education, Wiley provides education solutions including online program management services for higher education institutions and course management tools for instructors and students, as well as print and digital content.

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